Sofi Tukker: Meet the band soundtracking the iPhone X advert

This evening, Apple released plans for their new iPhone X – aided by a swanky new ad. Soundtracking that reveal with a banging house tune were house duo Sofi Tukker with their song ‘Best Friend’. Last week we spoke to the band about being nominated for a Grammy, their potentially life-altering paths and what comes next.

If everything had gone to plan for Sofi Tukker, they probably would never have existed. Muscle-bound DJ Tucker Halpern seemed destined to play pro-basketball, and lead vocalist Sophie Hawley-Weld had a job lined up in Brazil teaching yoga. Instead, the eclectic dance duo have now rubbed shoulders with Grimes, met a pregnant Beyonce on the Grammys red carpet and just last month played to 10,000 people in Mexico. Not bad for a backup plan.

“It was the turning point”, says Tucker of meeting Sophie in 2013 during their senior year at the prestigous Brown University, Rhode Island. The previous summer, an illness had left him bedridden for eight months, ending his sports career permanently. He “decided to make music his life” and quickly started DJing at frat parties while Sophie studied conflict resolution, taught yoga and played acoustic nights around Providence, RI. But it wasn’t until their chance encounter at a gallery opening that things took off. “We clicked straight away,” recounts Sophie. “At first I was writing the songs and he was producing them. But then it evolved into collaborating and making them from scratch.” They moved to New York together and released their first song, ‘Drinkee’ — the Grammy-nominated alt-dance banger that they “didn’t really think about” until it blew up across the world and gave them the chance to take their music global.

Adapted from a poem by Brazilian scribe Chacal, ‘Drinkee’ fuses deep, driving bass with an infectious guitar hook and an absorbing Portuguese vocal. It’s the type of quality musicianship that’s earned them legions of devoted fans across the globe, as well as some more famous admirers, like Grimes. “Last summer we played a festival in Milan where we were on before her,” reveals Tucker. “A year later she sent us a message saying, ‘I’m a fan. I like what you’re doing. Keep it up!’”

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It’s advice they’ve taken on board. With a new record in the pipeline — they “don’t know if it’s an album or an EP yet” — and a world tour already booked, the pair can’t be accused of resting on their laurels. “Even on our off days we go into the studio,” says Sophie. “We want to do this for the rest of our lives.” Luckily for them, that looks increasingly likely.

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From: New YorkSocial: @sofitukker Buy: Single ‘Fuck They’ is out nowLive: Oslo Hackney, London (Oct 1)